ASTR 1106: Relativity, Cosmology & Black Holes

Explanation of Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, which brought about a fundamental change in the conceptual understanding of space and time. Correspondence to, and conflicts with, common sense. Applications to various areas in special relativity (space travel, the equivalence of mass and energy, nuclear fission and fusion, and thermonuclear processes in the sun) and in general relativity ( motion of light and particles in curved space-time, cosmological models, and the question of whether the universe is open or closed).